1

hi there,

I think Bali, Gili Islands, Lombok, Java and Sumatra is, unfortunately, way too much to try to do in 4 weeks. I think a good trip would be to fly into Java - spend 10 days there, then fly to Bali and spend the rest of the time there, going to the Gilis and then onto Lombok for a few days at the end.

Or, you could go to Java + Sumatra, or Bali/Gilis + Sumatra. Travelling within Indonesia can be quite slow. Although, not so much in Bali, because it's a small island.

if you are planning on going to the Gilis, I wouldn't worry too much about trying to find a beach in Bali, because you'll get a nice, relaxing beach holiday in the Gilis. Ubud sounds like it would suit you. If you're really set on a beach in Bali, you could stay in Padangbai for a few days on the way from Ubud to the Gilis. (If you are planning on going by Perama slow boat to the Gilis). There are a couple of nice beaches either side of Padangbai's main beach.

When you land in Bali, I'd suggest heading straight to Ubud rather than staying in Kuta. It takes about 1.5 hours in a taxi. (It doesn't sound like Kuta would be your scene!)

Your budget sounds find. (Not sure how much your flight is, so I can't work out how much you'll actually have per day in Indonesia).

2

Agre with #1....if you try to fit all that in you will be moving too fast to enjoy any of it.Its a lot of ground to cover.

I'd do either Java (starting from Yogya though) with some of Bali and finish off on a beach in mainlandLombok (or Gilis if you prefer).......or else Bali-Lombok(or Gilis)-to Flores via Komodo.

Both of these are good trips,depending on your interests.

As #1 says,Ubud for art......Lombok (and on the way to Flores if you get that far) for beaches.

3

You have to check out Yogyakarta its the art hub of indonesia.There are some really sweet little guesthouses around the Marlborough rd area. Art wise for me it was way better then Ubud in Bali. Just beware the Special Art gallery guys trying to sell you Batik, as its normally way overpriced. Ask the guesthouses for the best place to by batik art. From the guesthouses you can arrange trips to Borobudur and Prambanan to very special sites on Java.

If you want to do a diving couse on the cheap, I would reccomend Pulau Wei, north Sumatra, stay in Ipoh village. It has cheap really nice bungalows overlooking the sea, good for snorkeling too and the local guys that run the diveshop are awesome. You can fly into Banda Aceh and get the ferry from there

The other option would be the Gili's for dive courses. The diving is not as good as in Wei, but Trawangan is beautifull none the less. Personally I would avoid Bali altogether, its just to touristy for my liking. Although I did do some fantastic drift dives off Nusa Penida.

Indonesia is way easier to travel around then China, so you should be ok. Its not as easy as Thailand thats for sure, but a lot of people speak English and you can read signs! Just dress modestly to respect the locals when travelling. Flights are super cheap if you book them in advance and if you only have 4 weeks this is the way to go.

4

You can always go on cruise to visit and see this destination especially if you'll be going to Bali. Although if you wanna spend most of your time on land, air travel would be the best of course since the destination you gave are islands or very far to do a land travel.

5

Addressing your love for art, there are several museums in Ubud that you won’t want to miss:

The first would be the Neka Museum which is southeast of Ubud center and directly opposite the famed Ubud watering hole, Naughty Nuri’s Warung. If you only had time for one museum in Ubud, this should be the one as the collection spans all schools of Balinese paintings from the earliest right through contemporary works as well as an excellent collection of works by the most famous expatriate artists who lived and worked on Bali.

Next up would be the Museum Puri Lukisan which is on the main road in Ubud, (Jalan Raya) on the left side when entering Ubud from the west. This is the first art museum established in Bali and as such it has a superb collection of early traditional Balinese paintings.

Third up would be the Agung Rai Museum of art, simply called the ARMA Museum, which is in the south east part of Ubud in the village of Pengosekan. As with the Neka Museum, this collection is very comprehensive and with some well known masterpieces.

A reasonable visit to each of these three art museums would easily take up a full day, but if you have time for more museums there is the Rudana Museum, the Antonio Blanco Museum, and a whole host of many art galleries offering works of art for sale.

6

Hi!

Thank you all so much for your replies! :-)

I don't know why i said 4 weeks maximum- I'm not really in any rush to get home! I also thought that extending my visa would be a massive hassle, but it looks as though I can sort it out in Bali. I was more concerned about my budget and thought it probably wouldn't stretch for longer than that- The last time I looked at flights from Beijing they were £200ish, so my budget is £1500ish... would that be enough (including Sumatra) do you think? Can vegetarians live cheaply on Indonesian food?

If I did go to Sumatra, would it make more sense to go there first or last? Sorry if that's a silly question!

I think I will arrive in Jakarta and go home from there. Another annoying question- does anyone know about left luggage at Jakarta airport? I've found a couple of websites but none are v.clear about costs and the contact information seems to be incorrect (I have 2 huge suitcases that I don't know what to do with!)

I'm planning to arrive around August 27th to avoid the end of ramandan which I've heard is crazy for traffic, etc- do you think I need to book hostels and transport between places in advance? Would be nice to be a bit flexible.

How modestly should I dress? It'll be hot! Just avoid cleavage, etc?!

It sounds like air travel might be best (except for getting to Lombok and the Gili Islands from Bali which sounds like a ferry would be ok) Can anyone recommend any cheap airlines for domestic flights?

Also, does anyone know about art workshops? The best, cheapest ones? I want to try everything! Painting, batik...

Sorry for asking so many questions- I'm not good at organising things like this! I really appreciate all of your help :-)

Edited by: igetlostalot

7

If you intend to visit the Gilis remember that high season is up until 15 September. This means that accomodation is very expensive, even the basic rooms. In May I payed 240.000Rp for a VERY basic room on Gili T and that was prior to high season.
You can go from Benoa, Amed or Padangbai with fast boat to the Gilis. Also expensive but time saving.

8

Hi, how about re routing to Nusa Tenggara Timur instead? You could go to Pulau Rote there, in which I heard is very beautiful, but i'm not so sure about the accommodation cost there. Have a google. I was down in Kupang city for couple of days, and saw that it's quite accessible to go to islands from Kupang City....

9

Hi,

1500 for 4 weeks is quite a lot of money, you'll be able to stay longer than 4 weeks on that. To give you an idea, in Sumatra I usually spend about $120 a week, and in Bali $160. (But, I don't drink alcohol and I'm not doing any tours, and I stay in the cheapest backpacker accommodation). But, that should give you some idea of a budget.

In regards to flight, instead of flying into Jakarta, you could fly into KL and then get a cheap (air asia?) flight over to Medan or Padang in Sumatra and start working your way south from there, then fly home by going from Denpasar).

Dress - outside of very touristy areas (like Kuta), just dress modestly. In Sumatra I try to wear clothes that cover my shoulders and knees.

have fun!

10

Hello,

Thank you everyone!

I've been going insane trying to plan an itinerary! I'm now thinking of going to Kuala Kumpur first, dumping my ridiculously huge suitcases, and then going onto Sandakan and Sepilok to see the orangutans there and then to Kota Kinabalu to see a rafflesia flower place! Decided it would be too difficult to see Sumatra within the visa timeframe! Have checked rough prices for flights and it seems ok but confused about how long to spend in each place- would this work?

21st August- fly to Beijing

Around 27th August fly to KL

29th August ish KL>Sandakan (enough time to see the oranguatangs? Anyone know how to book a tour?/which tour?)

5th Septemberish Sandakan> Kota Kinabalu to the the huge flower hopefully

7th Septemberish Kota Kinabalu> Jakarta. Then to Yogykarta> take lots of public transport for 10 days eventually ending up at Malang near Mt Bromo I'M REALLY CONFUSED ABOUT THIS BIT! This seems like a long way to go by public transport (?)- which are the best places to go to on the way and how long would you recommend I stay at each one?)

17th Septemberish Malang> Bali where I'll stay for the rest of my 30days visa and get ferries and buses around to Lombok and Gili Islands. (Any ideas on how long for each? Someone mentioned I should book the gilis now as its peak season.)

October 3rd ish Bali> KL (to collect suitcases from hostel). October 4th ish KL>UK

I'm very confused... think thats under 30 days in Indo :-S

Sorry for long, crazy message! Any help would be appreciated! :-D